Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Brong-Ahafo Region have expressed disgust over allegations made by Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR) that the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, instructed them to deny Nana Konadu access to the delegates during her recent campaign tour of the region.
FONKAR Deputy Regional Coordinator for Brong-Ahafo, Nana Yaw Boampong, had alleged that the Regional Minister played a vigorous role in preventing National Democratic Congress (NDC) party delegates from meeting Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, by summoning all the 22 Municipal and District Chief Executives to his official residence on June 15, this year, to instruct them not to give audience to the former first lady during her tour.
These allegations by FONKAR have been refuted by Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, who explained that he was not made aware of the coming of the former first lady and the campaign team, as he was informed the very day the woman arrived in town.
Again, Mr. Nyamekye Marfo told The Chronicle in an interview that the organisers of Nana Konadu’s tour made a mistake by neglecting the party structures and executives in its organisation, and that could have been the cause of the slight difficulty FONKAR might have encountered.
Some of the chief executives, who spoke to The Chronicle in an interview, said it was hurting for FONKAR to make such an allegation, which impugned on their integrity, and that Nana Konadu’s campaign team was trying to create the impression that they had no sense of direction, and were being remotely controlled.
Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku and Lord Oppong Stephen, both MCEs for the Asunafo and Berekum municipalities, said FONKAR’s allegation was unfortunate, noting that it was a complete defamation.
‘We are not puppets or robots that can be controlled by anybody; we are real men with families and responsible to make our own decisions. FONKAR should know this and render an unqualified apology for discrediting our integrity as men of honour serving the people of our respective municipalities and districts,’ the MCEs said.
According to Alhaji Mohammed Doku, FONKAR should acknowledge the use of the party structures in its organisation, in order to have the full participation of party members.
Doku and Oppong also condemned the attacks on Vice President Mahama by FONKAR that he also tried to sabotage Nana Konadu.
According to them, the Vice President’s meeting with the MDCEs at the regional office was to ascertain how the MDCEs can coordinate effectively with the party at the local level, to ensure rapid development to fulfill the ‘Better Ghana Agenda’ promised Ghanaians.
The Vice President, the MCEs said, advised them to be careful with their utterances and actions concerning the ongoing internal struggling within the NDC as a result of the battle for the flagbearer slot, in order not to disintegrate the party before 2012.
His Excellency the Vice President was on a Peace and Unity mission among the rank and file of the party, so there was no way he would incite anybody to forget about the presidential bid of the former first lady.
‘As a noble politician, Mr. Mahama believes in fair competition and democracy, so he won’t do that to undermine internal democracy in the NDC,’ Alhaji Mohammed Doku emphasised.
According to Lord Oppong Stephen, MCE for Berekum, the allegation by FONKAR was like putting a ‘snake charm’ on a snakebite, explaining that Nana Konadu had already finished her campaign tour of the region, ‘so why should the Vice President order MDCEs and delegates to forget about her.’
‘It would now be useless for the Vice President to come out with such a directive, because Nana Konadu has come and left, so why should the Vice President, if the allegation by FONKAR is true. It would be like Mr. Mahama is putting on a snake charm after a snakebite. FONKAR’s allegation should be treated as trash,’ Lord Oppong Stephen said.
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